74-4 BC. King of the Roman province of
Judaea, S Palestine, from 40 BC. With the aid
of Mark Antony he established his government
in Jerusalem 37 BC. He rebuilt the Temple in
Jerusalem, but his Hellenizing tendencies
made him suspect to orthodox Jewry. His last
years were a reign of terror, and in the New
Testament Matthew alleges that he ordered the
slaughter of all the infants in Bethlehem to
ensure the death of Jesus, whom he foresaw as
a rival. He was the father of Herod Antipas.